Dome 541
by Tealfeather123
Summary: The Domes were built to house communities that worked on the underwater farms and mines, which supported the Equestrian economy. But that was before the war. Now the domes have a new mission. To be a place where refugees, from all walks of life, could live and escape the horrors of radiation, the covered the lands above, and death.
1. Prologue

**Dome 541**

**By**

**Tealfeather123**

**Prologue**

_The Domes were built to house communities that worked on the underwater farms and mines, which supported the Equestrian economy. They were sprawled all over the depths of the waters near Equestria and was the ideal place for ponies to start over and leave their past behind. But that was before the war. The war which resulted to doomsday and the end of the habitable world above. The world ponies once knew and loved. Now the domes have a new mission. To be a place where refugees, from all walks of life, could live and escape the horrors of radiation, the covered the lands above, and death. But little did they know, more horrible things wait inside the metal domes._

One would think that working as a security technician, having full access to all the cameras at your assigned district, would be an exciting and interesting job that requires great skill and concentration. Well it's not. Skill and concentration wasn't really hard to get, since my cutie mark (which was a security camera) was literally made for the job. While the entire job was just plain boring. All I had to do is sit in my chair and wait for a file, search for the pony indicated and direct 'Control' teams towards them. Of course there was still the chance of catching a glimpse of the arrest or resistance of the wanted pony and being able to watch an exciting chase through the district. But that never happened and that was all because of the faulty cameras.

Sure, its fine when I searched through the district, searching and identifying the wanted pony. But once the Control team closes in on the target, my monitors suddenly turn black and gray, obscuring my view and giving me no chance to watch the arrest in which I help in. So it made it hard being proud of doing my job, knowing that I couldn't see the end result.

Of course I tried fixing the problem many times, by going through the main 'Circuit' and rewiring everything. But the only end result I got there was a bad mane day, which I didn't want to repeat again. My blue mane would prefer to stay soft and flat, rather that sticking up and burnt.

So I concluded that it must have been the cameras, who were probably way older than me, fault.

With all this problems, my job was pretty much miserable and boring. Especially when I get assigned to the quiet district, where nothing happens. So you would probably understand why I want some excitement in my veins.

Most of my day was spent sitting on my chair and watching the monitors and staying alert for crime. But I have been working here for almost a year now and I know that there hasn't been a single crime committed in this district that was caught on camera. Si it always surprised me how I get a picture of a pony, who supposedly committed a crime, and asked to search for them.

My inner senses tell me that something was weird about that fact, but my inner logic told me that they were criminals from another district. Since criminals crossing districts weren't uncommon.

With nothing to do, I spent most of my days laying back and doodling on a piece of paper. But since I was a Pegasus and found it difficult to hold a pencil, since pencils hate us that way, my drawing turned up to be crude and plain terrible.

But it doesn't mean I wasn't proud of my works of art, since I hang all of them on the wall to the right. Many question why there were drawings made by a five year old unicorn on my wall, but I remain silent. To embarrass to tell them that I drew them.

Occasionally looking at the monitors, I could see nothing happening but ponies walking around, heading for work and going home. I had a total of ten monitors in front of me and they gave me full coverage of every corner in my district of authority.

In the center was a gigantic monitor, where feed from other cameras could be displayed. The main monitor was the one I usually use or work, and by work I mean filing reports, and other stuff. But ever since I got caught playing space invaders on the screen, my bosses made sure that the only files in there were related to work.

All the monitors were connected to the main CPU which intern was connected to the 'Circuit' and 'Central Database'. The Circuit was the main line of connection to the cameras, and anything the camera sees must first go through the Circuit. Each district had their own independent Circuit, so that when one circuit was down, the other Circuits in other district would still be online.

The Central Database was located at the Ministry of Intelligence's building, located somewhere deep within their headquarters. It contained the records of everypony in Dome 541, from their birthdays to where they last ate lunch. So in other words, one could say that the Ministry of Intelligence was one big group of stalkers and that the Central Database was their filing cabinet.

Anyways, getting back to the topic… The Database was where all of the wanted ponies list comes from. So when I get a task to locate one, the Central Database would send a picture and a brief description, along with the possible location of the target. But I always wonder why they never sent me the crime the target had committed, but who am I to think of such things. I'm only a simple security technician

My main screen would usually flash red, three times, before this file appears. Once the file appears, I would search for the pony ad once that's done, I would call the Control team.

The Control team were basically the law in the Domes. Their job was to keep law and order and avoid chaos. They were charged with patrolling the districts and making sure that everypony was safe.

When I was younger, I always dreamed of being one of them. The idea of arresting evil doers always thrilled me and I remember playing around with friends, and pretending that I was a member of the Control team and they were the criminals.

But of course, my cutie mark told me otherwise. So I got the next best thing, working for the 'Overwatch' (The Overwatch being the organization in charge of monitoring the districts and pinpointing targets for the Control team). Which wasn't that bad, since I got to work with the Control team every time I got the opportunity. Now only if I could get those cameras fixed…

Anyways, that's basically what I do every day. Not the most exciting job, nor the most professional either, yet the job I was tasked with. Being a loyal citizen of Dome 541, I knew that, although my job looked small, it was still important for the proper cycle of life inside the Dome.

So with that, this is Security Technician Silver Wing, signing off for now.


	2. Chapter 1: Another Normal Day?

**Chapter 1: Another Normal Day?**

I groaned in annoyance, as the ringing sound of my alarm echoed all over the room. The loud beeping sound repeated itself and continued to do so unless I woke up and turned off the alarm. Given my state of sleepiness I would have threw the alarm on the wall, destroying it and giving me peace and quiet. But having did that last month, making me use up valuable bits that could have been used elsewhere; I knew that I shouldn't do it again. Alarm clocks were expensive, since the parts, like circuit boards, were hard to get. So instead, I gently went up from bed and put my hoof over the alarm and turned it off.

"Well, another boring day in my boring life…" I mumbled to myself as I got on my hooves and headed towards the bathroom.

Entering the bathroom, I immediately headed for the mirror to see how I looked. The mirror was a small piece of glass, with sharp ends poking out on the sides. It was the best that I could have gotten, especially with mirrors being a rare accommodation for most ponies. Luckily for me, the pay I get was sufficient to buy one. Since I couldn't imagine starting the day without looking on myself at the mirror.

Looking at myself at the mirror and saw my messy mane and tired blue eyes. My gray fur could be seen, as messy as my mane, while the sight of my tired face showed that I wasn't a morning person. Seeing that complaining wouldn't do anything headed towards my shower and turned it on.

I jumped in shock, as the water fell upon me, soaking my mane and fur. The water that poured was so cold that one would believe that ice was put on it. But getting warm water was a luxury for the people who lived in the upper classes districts, like Districts 4, 7, and 8, with their big houses that were the size of four apartments. I even heard that they had a park in the District, which had tall trees spread all over. Trees! (Trees being a sight that was hard to find.) But that was only a rumor. I never actually been to those districts, and till I do, the probability of trees is just the wild imagination of somepony who wanted to spread stories.

I always grew jealous on the upper class ponies, which had wide spaces to move around and green lawns surrounding their homes. Grass was only seen in those places, while dirt and trash was the common sight in the district, I lived in, District 5.

The population density here wasn't too bad compared to others, but it was still a tight place. In every block and corner, dusty worn down apartments could be seen. The apartments were usually not well kept, it was rare to see a clean apartment block, and had parts dangling from them. The paint was usually faded and it gave a gloomy feeling to anypony who walked the streets.

But one would find it hard to notice the terrible building, since the streets were always filled with ponies who were always trying to go somewhere. When you are pushed and shoved around the middle of the district, you would find it hard to look up and complain about the architecture.

Luckily for me, I usually had not trouble going around. Since nopony wanted to mess with a mare who wore the Overwatch uniform. So it usually meant that everypony kept their distance from me when I was walking to work. Which I didn't mind, since I don't like my personal space being intruded by an earth pony late for work.

Finishing up with my shower, and other preparations. I was soon ready to head out for work. Wearing my Overwatch uniform and hat I was ready to head out. My uniform was a dark gray and blue and had had sleeves that covered my fore hooves while the rest of the uniform only covered the forward part of my body. The back part of me was left exposed, leaving my cutie mark alone.

Putting on my saddle bag, I headed towards the door, and started my day.

Closing the door behind me, I made sure that my locks were working before turning around to head down stairs. But as I did, I came face to face with white unicorn, who seemed to be leaving also. Smiling, I gave a friendly nod and greeted her.

"Morning, Autumn." I said, greeting my friend.

Autumn was one of my close friends and the one I turned to when I had problems. The two of us have known each other since we were little fillies, when we attended in the same school. The two of us had experienced a fair share of adventure when we were young, which ultimately got us in trouble. I blame Autumn's rebellious personality for that, since she never seemed to like to stick to the rules and always loved to get to the bottom of things. But despite the trouble she brought me, we remained close friends, who trust each other no matter what.

"Oh, morning Silver." She said with a bright smile. I noticed a large leather bag, glowing with a green aura, floating beside. I looked at it curiously, as she locked her door, and wondered what it as about.

"Hey, what's the bag for?" I asked.

"Hmm…" She said, turning from her door and facing me. "Oh, you mean this? Well its nothing, it's just some work that I decided to do at home."

I nodded as I continued to look at the bag. Autumn worked for the gadget repair shop nearby, and was one of the best ponies for the job. She could fix anything with a circuit, no matter how hard, for a price. She sometimes likes to bring some of her work home, since she found it fun to tinker with gadgets. But it sometimes leads to trouble, like the time she almost burnt down the entire apartment block.

"Well, it looks like you didn't encounter any problems in fixing those gadgets, since I didn't smell anything burning last night." I said as we walked down the hall towards the elevator.

"Hey! That only happened once…" She said as the loud ding of the bell alerted us that the elevator was on our floor. Once it opened, she put the bag in first, before herself. I followed after her and pressed the button for the ground floor. "…and besides, it wasn't my fault."

"Yeah, yeah, go tell yourself that." I said, rolling my eyes.

* * *

My journey to work was uneventful, and I soon found myself walking towards the entrance of the Overwatch's Area 14 Headquarters. The building was plain and bland, being a box shaped structure of five floors. Its gray paint was fading, like every building in the district, and was covered with different kind of vandalism. Each Area Headquarters covered five districts and I was one of the ten (Including the night shifts.) security technicians in charge of watching the monitors.

Entering the building, I was greeted by the site of ponies dashing left to right, trying to file reports and other office stuff. I let out a small sight as I saw this, because it made me think that some ponies cared about nothing except for having their reports filed on time.

"Morning, Silver." A gray pony told me as I stepped on the 3D.P.I. (3 Dimensional Pony Identifier.) I nodded back, as the machine scanned me, and showed my identification on a nearby screen.

"Morning, Lance. Anything interesting today?"

"Nope." He said shaking his head, as he levitated a newspaper, which was today's copy of District 5 Daily News, in front of him. "Just the usual stuff and the usual ponies missing report on the news."

I shook my head and gave out a louder sigh. It always surprised my how a pony could end up missing inside the Dom. With all the cameras in every District, and every corner of Dome 541, it always surprised me how one could just simply disappear. But I just shrugged it off; it wasn't like it was my problem.

"Hey, Lance, tell the boss that I'll be checking the Circuit room for something. I'll check in once I'm done." I said, as I headed for the elevator.

"Trying to rewire your District's circuit again I see." He said, looking up from his newspaper.

"I have the clearance." I told him, as I stopped and prepared to pull out my clearance level card.

"I know and I'm not worried about that. I'm worried that a pretty mare like you might get hurt."

"I appreciate the concern, but that isn't enough to get me on a date on you." I informed him. Ever since I started working here, Lance has been trying desperately to get a date with me. Of course, that still hadn't happen. It wasn't that I didn't like him, since he was a nice and friendly guy. It was just because I think of him more as a close friend, rather than anything else.

"Well, can't blame a stallion or trying." He said, before bringing his attention back at his newspaper.

* * *

Half an hour later, I entered my work are with a weird and interesting object in my saddle bag. Taking a sit on my chair and activating the computers, I made sure that I didn't have any pending reports before placing my saddle bag on a nearby desk. I had to push of all the trash that was left behind the night shift, before having a clear place to put my bag. I swear, that guy in the night shift is untidy and lazy!

Having my bag placed on the table, I opened the bag to reveal a black metal object. The object was about a foot long and half a foot wide, and had two plugs on wither end. Earlier, when I found it, it was plug deep inside the District 5 circuit line. I didn't know what it was, or what it was doing there. But I was sure that it wasn't in the maintenance manual.

I was continuing to examine the object, trying to figure out its purpose, when a loud ringing sound echoed in the room. Turning around, I saw the main screen flashing red, alerting me that the Central Database found a target for me to look for.

'I guess I'll figure this out later.' I thought to myself, as I gently placed the object down and trotted towards the monitors.

Taking my place at my sit, and trying to get comfortable, I tapped my hooves on the keyboard and entered the codes to show the file report. But when the picture of the target popped out, my eyes grew wide as my mind couldn't believe on what I was seeing.

I stared at the monitor, looking at the picture in disbelief, as worry flooded through me. 'How could this be?' I thought. 'It can't be her. It just can't!' But a quick look at the name proved otherwise, as I felt my heart sink. I then started to worry about my friend and wonder about the possible crime she had committed. A small part of me said that it was probably nothing major and was just a minor crime like littering. But my common sense told me that the Central Database would not send an arrest for a simple crime like that.

So my wanting to help my friend and pretend that the computer had a malfunction, I started to do my jo and reluctantly look for the target. Switching from camera to camera, looking at all the monitors and combing the entire district, I soon found the target. She was standing near a dark alley, with no pony nearby; ad looked like she was waiting for someone.

I then zoomed in and activated the identifier, which matches the picture to the target located, and waited if it would match. Inside, I hoped it didn't, thinking that it would be some sort of computer error. But when the computer spoke up, I knew that there was no error.

"Target match…" It said. "Target, Autumn, confirmed and identified. As part of protocol, Control teams must be directed to the location as soon as possible."

I didn't do anything. I just stared at the screen, thinking over the situation that I faced. My friend, the best friend that was always there for me, was about to be arrested and I had the chance to stop it. I looked at the keyboard, hesitating on what to do.

But I soon sent the location, with deep regret at the action, knowing that my duty was to serve and protect the Dome and that friends were a lesser duty. But my heart felt broken as I did, as it told me that I betrayed somepony who trusted me.

Normally, by now, my monitors would become a blur and would cover the sight. But for some reason it didn't, it remained clear, giving me a complete view of the situation.

As I stared at Autumn, through the monitor, I couldn't help but feel sorry for her. She was going to be arrested, without her knowing it, and the one who gave her location away was her best friend.

I continued to watch, wondering why the Control team hasn't arrived yet, when something even more shocking came up on one of the monitors. From another corner, two unicorns, wearing black coats, walked towards her. Levitating in front of them were two pistols, complete with silencers and laser pointers. My heart rate begun to rise as I shook nervously. They moved at an efficient speed, levitating their guns without care, since there was nopony else in the vicinity.

I could see the two laser pointers on her body, and wanted to scream to her. I wanted to shout and inform her of the impending danger. But I knew that it would be no use, since she would not here me. Tears were streaming down my eyes and I couldn't help but break down because of what I was seeing. My whole body shook and I soon found myself crying harder than I thought I could possibly do.

Knowing that her fate would soon be sealed, and not being able to continue to watch, I shut off al the monitors. Refusing to watch my friend's impending death.

My tears were still streaming from my cheeks, when I galloped out of my work area and scream to the top of my lungs.

"An innocent pony was just killed!"


	3. Chapter 2: Questions and more Questions

**Chapter 2: Questions and more Questions**

I looked down on the floor, staring at the white tiles, as I sat alone in the middle of the room. By now, my tears have dried up and most of my composure has returned, but the memory of what happened earlier made me sniffle and whimper. I have to admit that I am not a though mare, for I get frightened easily and cry because of the most meaningless things. But when I manage to cry for a straight hour, having nothing to do but whine and grief. Then it is quite obvious that something terrible has happened. Something as terrible as the loss of the friend. In fact…it wasn't just terrible, it was devastating! A devastating tragedy. My heart couldn't handle something like that, and I could feel it grieve in sorrow.

After all the sadness and emotional storm I went through, I expected to wake up and learn that it was all a dream. But no matter how hard I try to wake myself from the nightmare, I just ended up hurting myself. What just happened was real and I could do nothing to stop it now. So all I wanted to do is go home and lie on my bed, while letting all the stress an emotions out as I try to face this reality.

But my wishes were still not granted. Instead, I found myself sitting in the middle of a white room, waiting for a pony who would interview me about the events that just happened.

The room was very bright, so bright that I was temporary blinded when I first entered it, yet didn't seem to have any lights on it. The light source somehow kept hidden, as it eliminated the entire room. The cold temperatures inside made me shiver and I wish I had something to wrap myself with. I ould have ask for a blanket or something, but doing so seemed meaningless in a high level situation like this. So I decided to brave the cold and withstand the temperature. But I still shivered from both the coldness and the shock, from the earlier tragedy.

As I stared up the sealing, staring at the nothingness above, while waiting for somepony to come. I started to wonder about the events that just transpired.

My friend, Autumn, was really gone. Although I didn't see her actual death, I knew what would happen. The laser pointers were focused on her and there was no denying it. She was killed and I felt like it was my fault. Some inner voice told me that I could have done something to prevent it. If I had done something, she could still be alive. But what was that something that I could have done?

At that time, it did not occur to me why somepony would want her dead. I have also forgotten about the fact that she was wanted by the Central Database. I was too wrapped up with my emotions that my basic logic skills and situation assessment went out the window.

As I continuously blamed myself in my thoughts, making me depress once more, the steel door in front of me opened. The door swung open to reveal an orange unicorn, who wore the uniform of a high ranking supervisor of the Control team. He had darkly tinted shades on and the normal black uniform Control team officers had. Complete with the golden patch that indicated he was a high authority member that was supposed to be taken seriously. But any Control team official must always be taken seriously, unless you want to face the unforeseen consequences.

I felt nervous as he took a sit, from the chair that just appeared from the floor, and stared at me. At that moment, all other thoughts were flushed down. 'Alright, Silver.' I thought to myself. 'Just remain calm and everything would be fine.'

I could feel my sweat slide down my skin as I tried to look calm and keep my composure. But no matter how hard I try, I knew that he could see my nervousness. All members of the Control team were trained to interpret behavior, even with the smallest movement. Some say that they could smell the scent of your fear!

"So, you are Ms. Silver Wing, I presume?" He said, staying still in his chair and moving nothing but his lips.

"Y..yes…" I said stammering. 'Nice job, me.' I thought to myself. 'What happened to remaining calm?'

"Good." He said, with his monotone voice. "I'm just here to ask you a couple of questions, after that you would be free to go."

I nodded my head, hoping that I could leave now. But I couldn't, until I answer his questions. It couldn't be that hard, right?

"Now, did you inspect your District's Circuit earlier this morning?" He asked.

"Well, you see I thoug…" I began, but I was immediately cut off when he spoke up.

"Ms. Silver Wing, this is a yes or no question. Your opinion does not have any value as of the moment." I felt insulted as he said that. He basically told me that what I think was junk and that my opinion is a waste of time. But I didn't want to cause any problems, so I just nodded.

"Yes."

"Good, it wasn't that hard, was it?" I groaned internally, knowing that he was just mocking me.

"Now, did you remove something from the Circuit?"

"Yes. In fact I was wondering about that, since it…" I was then cut off, again, when he raised his hoof and shook his head.

"I would be the one asking questions here, Ms. Silver Wing. Not you."

I really wanted to punch him in the face during that moment. But I knew that I would not win in a fight against a member of the Control team. Besides, cooperation was the fastest way to get this over with.

"Did you witness the death of the pony you said was killed?

That question made my heart sink as it reminded me the reason of my depression earlier. It reminded me of the terrible feeling I had. The terrible feeling of helplessness. I was hesitant to answer, but the works quietly escaped my lips.

"No…"

"Oh, how come?" He asked. So now he wanted to hear what I had to say, other than yes or no. But I was to down to get angry with him, so I answered it the best I could.

"Well the monitors usually turn to static, but today it didn't. When the ponies aimed their guns, I just couldn't bring up the courage to watch it and turned off my monitors." I explained, remembering the moment clearly. I just hoped that all I said was enough.

He nodded and stood up from his chair. "Thank you, Ms. Silver Wing. The information you have given would prove valuable in the investigation. With approval from your department, you are allowed to go home and rest. This experience may have proven a little traumatic for you, so they have approved to give you a two day break."

With that, and nothing else to say, he turned around and left the room. Leaving me alone once more. Alone to contemplate in my own thoughts.

* * *

The elevator opened, as it brought me to my floor, and I stepped out into the hallway. Today has been a long day, physically as well as emotionally. My body felt tired from all the weeping and crying I did, as my emotions felt broken, from the loss I just took.

I walked through the hallway, hoping to get into my room and just lay and bed and cry. Loosing someone dear was a wound that could not be healed over a day. Yet I was sure it was a wound that could never be healed. Since every time you thought about it, the stinging sensation always comes back.

As I neared my door, I noticed the door opposite mine was left open. That got me wondering as I looked at it curiously. The room belonged to Autumn, and after the events of today I knew that Autumn wouldn't be able to go home.

So I slowly moved towards the edge of the door, not looking inside and keeping the sound of my hoof steps to a minimum. Inside, I could hear the sound of somepony rummaging through the room as the sound of their magic echoed out. I was alarmed at the fact that somepony was intruding in Autumn's home and was more alarmed when I started to think why?

Leaning on the edge, I peeked in to see what was happening. Inside, a pony wearing a black coat, that covered their face and most of the body, scanned the room. The pony's green aura lifted a bag, as the pony hastily shoved different objects, of all kind in it.

Fear shot through my body as I watched this unfold. The pony could be a member of the group who killed Autumn. They must be looking for something and had to eliminate her. But why? Why was she so important. It wasn't like she was hiding something, was she?

I shifted a little more towards the edge of the door, so that I could get a better view. But I soon learned that it was a bad decision, when I suddenly trip and fell. Attracting the attention of the pony inside.

My body felt stiff and I remained still. I didn't know if I should run or fight back. Panic was controlling me, during that moment, and when that happens, nothing productive was the usual result. So I just lay there in fear, as I watched the pony approach me at high speed.

When I soon returned to reality and understood the full extent of the situation, I tried to desperately get up. But I only manage to stand up for a while, desperately trying to get out as fast as I can, when I noticed the pony was dangerously close. The pony was very fast, and although the apartment wasn't that big, managed to close in the distance quickly.

"Oh, Celestia save me!" I exclaimed as the pony collided with me with such intense force, that I was knocked off of my hooves and came crashing down on the floor. It was a painful experience, and I was lucky to not have a broken bone or at least I hope,

"Ouch." Was the only word that escaped my lips.


	4. Chapter 3: Ghost!

**Chapter 3: Ghost!**

I found myself pinned down on the floor, as my attacker kept me still by using all their weight on me. I could feel the hooves pressing against my chest, and felt slightly uncomfortable. Looking up, I found it hard to see the face of the pony who kept me on the floor because of the hood. But knowing who my attacker was wasn't important unless I manage to escape. Desperately I tried to push my attacker away, using my fore hooves, but to no avail. The pony was just too strong and I knew that I had no chance at escaping. I shivered in fear as my thoughts wondered on what would happen to me. If I was to meet the same fate as Autumn, then I hope that it would be swift an painless. So I closed my eyes and waited.

The sound of magic entered my ears and I refused to open my eyes to see what was happening. I only imagined the pony taking a weapon, like a knife or a gun, and readying it for use against me. Shutting my eyes tighter and waiting for the invertible pain, I waited for the fatal blow. But seconds passed and nothing happened.

Slowly opening my right eye, trying to get a peek on what was happening; I was surprised to see that there was no knife or gun. In fact, the pony had no weapon drawn at me at all!

I also noticed that the pony's hood was down, revealing the face. At first I didn't grasp much of this, but when I got a good look at the face, my eyes went wide like dishes. Shock and disbelief run through me as I started to panic once more. I shook in fear as I fret and stammered. I tried to speak, to say something to the pony in front of me, but I found no words to say.

Right in front of me, face showing of a wide grin, was Autumn! The very pony I though dead was right in front of me. Although my heart jumped in glee to see her, my mind found it very puzzling. My mind found it hard to comprehend as my thoughts returned to the possibility of this being a dream. But soon change to the possibility of her being a ghost. A ghost who came to haunt me, because I couldn't help her in her time of death.

She moved aside, the grin still plastered on her face, giving me room to stand up. She offered a her hoof to help me up, but I rejected it. Since I was still shocked at the situation and didn't believe that she was actually standing in front of me. So I clumsily stood up, keeping my gaze at her, as she watched me.

So we stood in the hallway, facing each other, without saying a word. She had the same compassionate look that she had on her face, while carrying the adventurous and rebellious grin on her. There was no mistaking that she was really there, as I feeling her presence radiating, and not just my imagination.

So I went to the next logical conclusion that I could make at the time. She was a ghost!

Slowly moving forward, getting closer to her, I began a visual examination. She didn't look fogy to me, like how I expected ghost to be but then again, I never seen a ghost before. So it was time to do a physical examination.

Autumn gave me a curious look, as if I was crazy, as I lifted my right hoof and moved it towards her. I then started poking her on the chest and was surprised that I was making contact with her. I expected ghost to be translucent, well I guess I am wrong again.

"Ummm….Silver, what are you doing?" She asked, confused at what was happening.

"Trying to check if you are real and a ghost?" I replied still poking her. But I soon stopped poking her when she shoved my hoof away.

"Ghost?" She said, surprised. "Why would you think I'm a ghost?"

That was when my expression changed. I suddenly looked down, sniffling, as bad memories returned. The thought of her being dead got to me, as the thought of losing the one who understood me the most was a scary thing.

"I…I thought you were dead." I stammered, as a tear streamed down my cheek and slipped towards the floor. I started sniffling as I tried to keep my composure. "I saw two ponies carrying guns…" I then raised my head to look at her, as tears continued to stream from my face. "…I thought they killed you!"

Her face change from worry to a caring look, as she moved closer and wrapped her hoof around me for a hug. I buried my face on her chest and let my emotions go. Crying on her fur, I felt sorry for getting her wet. But she didn't complain and instead comforted me in my situation.

"Don't worry…" She said as she ran her hoof on my mane. "…I'm alright. Nothing bad happened."

"Then why did I see two ponies pointing their guns at you?" I asked looking up at her.

She froze and looked at me, staring directly in my eyes. From all the years I knew her, I knew that her expression showed seriousness. Looking back at her, I waited for an answer.

"Listen…" She said, in a serious yet soft tone. "…I need to ask you a question. How much did you see?"

"Not much, I turned off the monitor when I thought they were going to shoot you." I said sniffling. "Which reminds me, who were they and why were you on the wanted list?"

But I didn't get any answers directly at first. Instead, she grabbed my on the shoulder with both her hooves and said:

"Silver, I don't want to involve you in this, yet it seems like life has other plans. I tried to hide this from you, but now I think your involve whether you know it or not. So I'll tell you as much as I can about the things that happened. Those ponies you saw weren't just armed gangsters who want to rob ponies. They were trained assassins. Seeing that you didn't see what happened, I could tell you that I manage to escape them unharmed. I don't even think you were supposed to see all those. Didn't you say your monitors go blurry when arrests happen?"

I nodded my head, remembering the annoyance I use to feel during those events.

"Well, I think there is a reason for that. We think there are jammers in your monitoring systems, blocking any witnesses to the killings and abductions that happen."

I nodded trying to take it all in. But even though I looked calm in the outside, I was mentally screaming in the inside. All was this was too much, as I wondered why they wanted to kill her. Killing? Abductions? I know there were a lot of missing ponies, but I never heard of killings and abductions. I was so caught up in my thoughts that I barely caught the question she asked me.

"…what did you do after you turned off you monitor?"

"Well…I went out and informed my superiors. I thought that maybe they could use the information for an investigation."

"No!" She screamed. "If they know that you saw something like that, even though it wasn't that much, then they would surely eliminate you, so that you won't spill the beans. There's a reason why they jam your monitors!"

I gulped. "Eliminate?"

My question seemed to have been answered when the elevator door opened, with a 'ding'. Looking towards it, we noticed the metal door slide open to reveal two ponies, wearing black combat suits, and levitating revolvers in front of them.

"Buck!" She exclaimed. "It looks like their already here!"

She then stood in front of me, and used her magic to pull something out of her coat. Looking forward, I could see that it was… It was a gun! When did she get one of those? Those she even know how to use that thing?

The sound of her discharging two shots answered my question, as she motioned me to head towards her room. So I did it as fast as I could, not wanting to get shot, while she followed close behind. I heard the ponies from the elevator fire back, as the bullets hiss pass Autumn. Firing two more shots, she moved in the room before closing the door, locking it, and galloping across the room.

She headed towards a window, with the emergency fire escape near it, and opened the glass panel immediately. Hopping out, she motioned for me to follow.

"Come on, we don't have all day. A single door won't stop them."

The sound, of somepony slamming against the door was enough encouragement for me. As I hoped out of the window and landed on the fire escape. I then looked towards Autumn to see her racing down as fast as she could. I followed close behind, trying to keep up. It took me a while before I realized that I could have used my wings to get down, rather than just run.

"Well this day is filled with failure…" I muttered to myself, as the sounds of gun shots came from above. The bullets landed near us, with a hissing sound as they impacted. "…and danger!"


	5. Chapter 4: I Hate Running!

**Chapter 4: I Hate Running!**

I got to admit that when I started this day out, I didn't expect to run through the crowded streets of District 5 while being chased around by two unicorns who had the intent to kill me. Whether this was what life had planned out for me or just a cause of my stupidity (I knew I shouldn't have played around with the circuit.) I don't know. All I know is that I couldn't stop it now and had only one option at the moment. Which was to run away as fast as I could. I would have preferred flying away rather than using my hooves. But Autumn said that a Pegasus flying around, and wearing the Overwatch uniform, was an easy target to spot. It made me hate running more, with the addition it made me feel like an earth pony.

So I got stuck with running, which made my feet very tired. I really need to get in shape if I'm going to do this in a daily basis. (Which I hope I wouldn't have too, since this will all get sorted out sooner or later, I hope.)

As we ran through the streets, I noticed that the ponies chasing us weren't firing their guns. It seems like they wanted to keep things quiet and not expose the public to violence. So maybe Autumn was right about them wanting to hide something. Well at least I was glad about that. If they wanted to hide killing, then I was sure they wouldn't shoot us in public or any open space where a pony could see. Since it would mean that they would have to eliminate everypony who witnessed it.

"Where exactly are we going?" I asked Autumn as I panted. All this running was taking its toll in my energy and I didn't know how much longer I could continue this.

"A place where we can hide." She told me. "But first we need to lose these guys."

"How? We can't seem to shake them off our tail."

"Yes, but they would have a harder time chasing both of us. You go left and I go right, I will then meet you near the junk shop." She said, turning her head towards me and grinning. I didn't actually think it was a good idea for us to split up, since I thought that we would be able to work better together, but she seemed to know what she was doing.

So I gave a quick nod, before dashing off to the left, heading towards the market center. Turning my head towards the ponies chasing us, I could see them make their way through the crowd trying to get near us. They then separated, one heading for Autumn, while the other towards me. I felt scared as I felt alone and no one to help me if I got captured. But this was no moment for fear, but the moment to run!

Reaching the market place, I could see the area was buzzing with activity. Ponies from all over District 5 were buying supplies, like food and other material. Signs saying fresh fruits and vegetables littered the area, but I know for a fact that they weren't fresh. Since the Domes were located miles underwater, sunlight barely penetrated the water to reach the plants we plant. So that means that we had to use artificial light to grow them. But although artificial light helps grow plants, it still lacks on giving the plants enough nutrients to be nice and juicy. Well those fruits were as fresh as they could get.

Racing through the market place, I tried to swerve left and right, trying to lose the pony chasing me. I knew that the market place was always filled with ponies, even more than the streets and other paths. So if I were to lose him anywhere, it would definitely be here.

But he seemed to have keen I sight, since I found it impossible to shake him off. Every time I tried to turn a corner and hide behind a group of ponies, he somehow manages to pop out. Getting nearer and nearer towards me.

I panicked as I saw him closer and I knew that I got to get him off or at least slow him down. So I raced towards the only place in the market place where I was sure to lose him. The Ice Center.

The Ice Center was the area were most ponies bought their cool blocks of frozen water. The ice came from the factory, which was located on the far side of the District; one could actually see the ten story factory from the distance. With its brown muddy walls showing how unhygienic it was. Maybe that was why they put it so far from the market place.

To get the blocks of ice, long slides were made that transport the large cubes at high speeds. The ice blocks slide down from the top floor of the factory and move through the entire District before ending its journey at the market. The ice blocks slide out of the slides and on to a specially made floor, before being halted by some sort of machine that I didn't much understand. The large cubes of ice were as big as a pony, and it took a special device with springs to catch them. So getting hit by one would hurt a lot.

There were tons of these slides in one corner of the market and running through them, while avoiding the chunks of ice, would be difficult. But at the time, it was the only way I thought I could lose him.

The path towards the slides wasn't filled with ponies and the only ponies there were the workers, who were staring at us as we ran off.

Running towards the slides, I could see that a fresh batch of cubes launching of the slides, before skidding down the floor and caught. I could see, from the distance, which another batch was coming soon. The white blocks of us shone from the distance, as I mentally calculated on its time of arrival. If I was lucky, I would be able to pass through them with enough time to miss one of the blocks.

Stretching my wings, I decided to fly low and bate the pony behind me. Since he already knew where I was, there was no use not use walking and trying to not attract his attention. Since his attention was now fully focused on me.

I flapped my wing as fast as I could, trying to gain speed. But the pony seemed to be very fast and I wondered what kind of genetic modification he took to be able to ran that fast.

Bang!

The sound of shots being fired made me squeak in surprise. It was obvious how much he wanted me dead. Well if all went according to plan, then I would be able to walk away from this unharmed.

Bang!

If no bullets hit me first, that is.

Passing through the slides, I could see the blocks of ice nearing. I flapped my wings faster, trying to get out of danger. But for a moment, I thought that I would get hit and meet a fate that was as painful as getting his by a bullet. Luckily for me I didn't. Instead, I manage to avoid any of the blocks and reach the safety of the other side.

But the sane couldn't be said for the pony chasing me, as I heard a loud thud, the sounds of muscle and bones being crushed, from behind. Stopping, I landed on the ground and turned my head to see what happened.

Looking towards the slides, I could see a trail of blood on the floor in front of the third slide. The blood was as red as it could be and I followed it to see a more gruesome sight. Near the machine that catches the ice, a large pool of blood spread through the floor.

I gasped at the sight, as the pony that chased me earlier was squished in between the machine and the block of ice. His body twitched, showing that he still had some life in him, yet he didn't look like a healthy pony anymore. The ice had pressed against the mid part of his body with great force that he looked like a soda can that was stepped on. His mouth hung open, as he desperately tried to breath from his broken lungs, while blood dripped out.

From all over the place, worker ponies started to gather. They went towards the pony and tried to free him from the trap he was in. But the freshly made ice seemed to freeze his skin with the cold block, as a rubber like mesh of blood and flesh was stretched at every attempt to pull him out.

I wanted to vomit right then and there, but I knew that there was no time for that. I still had to head out towards the junk shop and meet up with Autumn. I decided to walk, knowing that I would easily be spotted by his companions, which he probably had, if I flew. So I turned around, ignoring the fact that there was a dead pony, and trotted off.

* * *

Walking towards the junk shop, I could see the rusty piles of metal that littered the entire area. The large metal shed in the middle looked like a large trash can, old appliances surrounded it. The stench of rust and other materials entered my nostrils making me wince at the pain it brought my nostrils. "Why am I here again?" I thought aloud, wondering what forces brought me to the most unlikely places. Then I saw Autumn revealing herself, from inside the shed, as she motioned me to come inside.

"Oh, yeah…that's why…" I muttered as I walked towards the shed.

Entering the shed, I was surprised to see that it was very dark. I tried my best to navigate inside, but found it very difficult. The only light I had was from the open door behind me, yet it still proved difficult. I might have bumped into something, or two, when I noticed a loud mechanical sound behind me.

It sounded like gears moving and as I turned around, I noticed the entrance I took was closing, and it was closing fast. The rusty and mechanical sound of the doors sliding together echoed around, before each side finally met each other and closes with a loud thud.

I was left there, standing alone and in complete darkness. Have I said that I have the fear of the dark? No? Well I do and dark places liked this scared me out of my skin. I began internally panicking as I started pacing around, tripping on object before standing up and tripping again.

Suddenly, a deep raspy voice broke my panic, as it started to talk in the darkness.

"Autumn, are you sure it's safe to keep her here." The voice said. "She is wearing an Overwatch uniform. What if she leads the others here?"

"Ow, hush now, Dusk." I heard Autumn sweet voice say. I never thought that hearing her was going to be so comforting. Especially after all I've been through. "I can assure you that she is safe. I have known her since I was a filly and I trust her with my life. Besides, she doesn't know anything about the government's activities. She is the most clueless pony in the entire Dome."

"Hey!" I retorted, glaring at the darkness as I gave my retort. "I wouldn't be so clueless if you would tell me what is happening."

The sudden introduction of the bright light temporary blinded me, as my eyes tried to dilate and adjust to the change of brightness. I rubbed them with my hooves before looking around at the now well-lit interior of the shack. Which I had to admit, looked bigger than it actually is.

Looking in front, I saw a black earth pony with white and black hair, and a hammer as a cutie mark. His blue eyes studied me as I stood there, but he didn't say a word. Standing beside him was Autumn, who had a small friendly smile on her face. I was really relieved to see her safe, knowing that she didn't get hurt while managing to lose the pony chasing her.

"Looks like you got here in one piece. I hope the pony chasing you didn't give you much trouble." Autumn said. By the looks of it, she too was happy to see me safe. "So how did you lose him?"

"Lose him…" I said, as the thoughts of the deformed body of the pony returned. It was a terrible sight, and I didn't want to remember it. So I breathe a sigh of relief when the pony, who I assumed was Dusk, changed the subject.

"I think you two could talk about that later. Didn't you say you were going to explain why she's here? I didn't leave my work just to watch you chat. I have infiltration plans to finish!"

"Oh, yeah, alright." She said, nodding. She then turned to face me. "I brought you here to explain things. So do you want the long version or the short version?" She said.

"The short version please." I said. After all I've been through; a short and simple explanation would be good enough and probably won't cause too many headaches.

"Well first off, I would like you to meet Dusk…" She said pointing her hoof towards the black earth pony beside her. "…he is the leader of the Resistance."

"The Resistance?" I asked, confused. "What Resistance?"

"Well officially we don't have a name, so that we could keep this all a secret." Dusk said. "But we can't keep everything a secret and when the government catches as whiff of us, they dub as the Resistance."

"Okay, I get it. But, what would the government want from you guys? It's not like you stole something from them."

"Well technically it's borrowing without permission." Autumn said shuffling her fore hooves.

"Wait…you stole from them! No wonder they want to catch you so bad? But why?" I said bewildered at the thought of stealing from the government. Let alone the fact that you could successfully steal from them.

"So that we could prove their corruption and the atrocities they did to the citizens of the Dome!" Dusk said, with a serious tone. My full attention went to him, as I waited for him to explain. "For years, we have infiltrated the government and stole files proving that they stole from us. Money that could be used for project, are instead used for their greedy ambitions. Have you ever wondered why all the upper class ponies are government members?"

"Well now that you mention it…" I said, thinking it over. I was never good when it came to politics, but even I should have noticed that!

"Exactly…" He said, as if he knew what I was thinking. "We tried to fight them by peaceful means, but every time we do somepony dies. Also, every time we spread the word, we are silenced, so that the general public won't think and rise up! So anypony who has the slightest contact with us is immediately eliminated, for fear that you might influence others."

"You mean…I can't just go back and pretend nothing happed?" I asked hopefully, as I wanted to return to my normal life. The shaking of his head, left to right, answered my question.

"You're in this weather you like it or not. It's only the matter of you willing to help us or not. If you chose not, then we would not be able to help you when they co e knocking on your door."

I stared at him, trying to take that all in. It meant that my life would change. I was now being hunted by the government and considered a threat. Although I understood what he meant about the corruption of the government, the idea of fighting them was something bigger. Having worked for the government myself, I knew that they were powerful and in control. But what else could I do. The only way to go back to my old life was to fight and hope that I joined the winning side. Well, at least I had Autumn with me.

So, after a long moment of silence, I nodded my head. "Alright, I'm in."

I just hoped that I made the right decision.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 5: Guns**

At first I thought that the large shed was the main headquarters of the Resistances forces, since it didn't look like there were any other structures in the vicinity of the junkyard. But that was before I got the tour of the Resistance base. Apparently, there were dozens of building scattered around the junk yard, cleverly hidden under a simple yet ingenious way. All of the buildings were hidden under a pile of junk, from old appliances to random chunks of metal, and the only way to get there was through a secret passage. I found it quite amazing at how craft this guys can get.

Heading towards a large pile of metal, I saw Dusk enter through a narrow entrance that barely fit a pony. I then watched Autumn heading for it, as she beckoned me to follow. I was quite hesitant at first, since small confined places weren't exactly something I like. Let's just say that I have a slight case of claustrophobia.

But after a few seconds of staring, I decided to confront my fears and enter the depth of this tunnel. By confront my fear I mean, screaming and panicking inside as I try to get through it as fast as I can.

Reaching the end, I was amazed to see a large concrete room, which was as large as the metal shack we were in earlier. It must have been underground the Dome and I wondered what part of the Dome was this. Because, unless they broke to the protective layer of the base, this had to be some secret area of the Dome. At first I thought the buildings were just hidden under the pile of junk, but after the long travel through the tunnel, I could tell that this was deeper than the pile of junk laid outside.

So as my curiosity brought me the weirdest ideas, Autumn was kind enough to explain.

"This was a former storage area…" She explained. "…there were dozens of these places all over the dome and they come in different shapes and sizes. They were abandoned and sealed off, when the great rat infestation happened. But when the Resistance found them all those years ago, they found nothing but rotting supplies. So they decided to clean them out and used them as a base of operation. They then built tunnels leading to the junk yard, which wasn't an easy feat mind you, and hid the entrance under piles of junk. Pretty cool, huh?"

"Well I got to admit, this is impressive." I told her, nodding.

I continued to look around and noticed that there were a lot of weapons hanging on the walls and laying all around. There were large guns, which looked like it could destroy an entire army, while there were small guns, which could be easily concealed. They also have tons of ammunition boxes that were laid all over the room, enough ammo to wage a war. But even if they had this many weapons, it was clear that the government had more. Because if they didn't, then why hadn't the resistance started hitting the government hard with their large array of weapons? So it was clear that the government had a stronger force than I though.

I was impressed with the large array of weapons and ammunition they had and wondered how they manage to smuggle this. But my thoughts were interrupted by a loud sound that echoed all over the room.

Bang!

The loud blast of a gun rushed through my ears, as I instinctively ducked down and covered my ears with my hooves. I was probably traumatized by the earlier events and didn't want to experience it again. But when I looked up, I noticed that Autumn was chuckling at me, while Dusk was shaking his head with a disappointed look in his face.

"Relax, there isn't any danger here." Autumn said. "That was just Bolts doing some target practice on the firing range." She then pointed towards a far corner of the room. Looking towards it, I noticed a dozen target boards that were hanging near the wall, while canvass mats lay sprawled on the floor. It looked like any other firing range I have seen before, except the fact that it lacked some safety protocols. Standing on one of the mats was an orange unicorn who was levitating a long barreled rifle in front of him, as he looked down the sights. He steadily levitated the weapon as he carefully aimed it, with all his concentration.

Another loud 'Bang' made me wince, but this time; I didn't jump down on the ground and made a fool of myself.

"Come on…" Autumn said, as she walked towards the make shift firing range. "…I'll introduce you to him."

"Hey Bolt!" She called as we approached, making the orange unicorn look towards us. "I want you to meet somepony."

Gently putting the rifle down, he moved away from the mat and waited for us to arrive. I could already feel his gaze inspect me, as we approached, and I hoped that he was thinking of me approvingly. The small warm smile on his face looked comforting. Especially compared to Dusk's expressionless one. Speaking of Dusk, where was he? Looking behind, I noticed he wasn't there anymore. He must have left a minute ago, probably not wanting to waste another second with the 'new pony'.

"Bolt." Autumn said, with her cheerful voice. "I would like to introduce you to my friend, Silver. Due to some circumstances…" 'Right…circumstances.' I thought. "…she is now one of us." I gave small smile and a wave of my hoof as a greeting. He seemed to respond by giving a quick nod.

"Well it's nice to meet you, Silver." He said, with his rough voice.

"It's nice to meet you too." He seems friendly enough.

He then turned towards Autumn and asked:

"I'm glad to meet new members of the team, but is there any reason why you're here?"

"Well yes. We came here so that you can help arm Silver here with a gun of some sorts." Wait; did she just say a gun? I have handled guns before, during basic training. But that was almost a year ago. I was pretty rust about it and wasn't sure how to use one anymore. Besides, the sound of a shot alone was enough to scare me, let alone firing one.

"Get a gun?" I asked confused. "I don't remember talking about that."

"What do you mean? I told you about this as we went down the tunnel." Right…the tunnel. I was probably so afraid of going down that I didn't notice that they were telling me something.

"Ohhh…yeah…" I said, embarrassed and glowing a soft shade of red. I was also not enthusiastic about this. I didn't really want to have a gun, because it meant I would have to use it to take another ponies life. The fact that I seriously hurt the pony earlier already scared me. But I guess this was part of my new life now.

Bolt seemed to see the expression on my face, and decided to reassure me. Putting his hoof on my shoulder, he said:

"Don't worry, Silver. I'm sure we can get you something here." He then led me towards a table near the firing range. It was filled with different assortment of guns, of all scales and sizes. Some of them looked difficult to use, and were probably made for unicorns. While other seemed simpler and easier to use, like a pistol that had a strap, so that it could easily attach to a hoof.

But as I looked at all the guns, my attention fell upon a specific one. It was a pump action shotgun, which had a large and long metal trigger (Located near the gun butt.), so that it could easily be used by hooves, and an easily graspable pump, that had an out layer of rubber. It was smaller compared to the other shotguns, and could easily be concealed under a coat. Being a Pegasus, I could easily hover above the ground and wield this weapon.

Bolt seemed to notice my gaze and smiled. "Looks like you found something you like. Want to try it out?"

"Well…sure." I sad hesitantly, having never fired a shotgun before. In fact, the only gun I fired was a tiny pistol, which was strapped to my hooves. That gun gave little kick back. But the shotgun…

Hovering over a mat, as I flapped my wing slowly, I held the shotgun in my hooves. My right hoof was on the trigger, and I knew that it would take a little more force to actually activate it.

"Alright, now just look down the sights, aim, and shoot." Bolt told me, as he stood of to the side. Doing what I was told, I lifted the gun and looked through its sights. A shot gun released a lot of tiny metal pellets, giving it a wide arch of damage, so aiming wasn't much required for it. But I still did it, since it made me feel professional.

I tried to keep myself steady, hovering as stable as possible, while keeping my hooves still. I didn't want to make any mistakes, since a mistake with a gun would prove very dangerous. Especially in a place where there wasn't any safety protocols. Or so I think.

Seeing that I was on target, I started to apply pressure on the trigger, gently pushing it so that I could fire the weapon. Slowly and gently I…

Bang!

The loud shot of the gun echoed in my ears as it temporarily deafened me. I think I should have worn ears muffs for this. But the deafening sound wasn't the only thing the gun did, as I found myself pushed back by the guns kick back.

Its inertia launched me away from the mat, in which I was hovering, and across the room. Adrenaline pumped through my body as the exciting power of the gun pushed me back before landing me with a thud on the floor. I was amazed at its power and I knew that I wanted to wield it once again. It gave me the sense of strength that I never had, while removing my fears. I clutched the shotgun closer to me, giving it a hug as I lay on the floor.

The sound of hooves rushing towards me snapped me out, as I saw Bold and Autumn looking down at me.

"Silver, are you okay?" Autumn asked concerned about my safety. I could see it in her eyes that she was afraid that I was hurt, which I luckily wasn't. Other than being stunned by the power of the weapon, I was completely fine.

But the strength and power of the shotgun still dominated my mind. The only thing I was thinking was using it again and again, having great power within my hooves. So, at the moment, the only response I was able to say was:

"Wow!"


End file.
